[mythtv-users] Should I get a monitor with HDCP?

Bob spam at homeurl.co.uk
Fri Oct 19 23:58:01 UTC 2007


Marc Barrett wrote:
> I am looking at a cheap monitor from the Dell outlet store, to 
> use with MythTV, but it has High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection.
> I am worried about this interfering with MythTV in some way.  I
> really don't know anything about HDCP.  Should I avoid any 
> monitor with this "feature", and instead get one without it?
>   

All those are valid points but I would try to avoid HDCP as I don't like 
it, if enough people don't buy it it'll die.

Sadly, due to the incredible power of marketing, at the moment most 
people seem to think it's a "feature" and a desirable one at that.

What will be exciting is when the crackers start intercepting and 
cracking the keys on a regular bases, then the HDCP people will start 
revoking large numbers of keys effectively breaking the HDTVs of many 
legitimate consumers.  The lesson here is NEVER buy a HDMI screen that 
won't accept a standard, non HDCP, DVI signal.

Oh well, I've already prepared a particularly infuriating "I told you 
so" face.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HDCP
pay particular attention to the paper "A Cryptanalysis of the 
High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection System" or better yet read it, 
it's only 8 pages.


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